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Sunday, June 22, 2008

MPs set to claim £40,000 perk

MPs set to claim £40,000 perk

Members of parliament could receive a standard allowance of £40,000 a year on top of their salaries to pay for a second home in London, under proposals to be finalised this week.

A committee of senior MPs, chaired by Michael Martin, the Commons Speaker, wants to add the payment to MPs’ salaries of £61,820.

Under the new arrangement, MPs would be spared the scrutiny that comes with submitting individual receipts for the running costs of their properties.

Critics argue that if the proposed reform is adopted it will amount to rewarding MPs for their recent abuses of the system. MPs have been caught making inflated claims for household goods and gardening services.

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